Letter: Pumpkin Run not ‘green’

After the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce announced last year that the Pumpkin Run was “going green,” it was disappointing to see nary a recycling receptacle at this year’s event.

When you host 2,000 people, it is unconscionable to not plan for managing waste in a sustainable manner. To state that the race is “going green” and not fulfill that commitment is “greenwashing.” The worst part is the message to all the participants that recycling and conservation are not important.

Our family has participated in every Pumpkin Run since its inception in 1979. Sycamore is our hometown.

We began voicing our concerns about the waste produced at the race when bottled water replaced paper cups of water at the finish. Made from petroleum, a nonrenewable natural resource, plastic bottles more often than not end up in landfills. Bottled water is also an unnecessary and expensive substitute for perfectly good tap water.

Thousands of plastic cups used at the race for beer and other beverages were thrown away in trash containers because recycling was not an option offered. A more sustainable choice would have been paper cups.

I contacted the race organizers with these suggestions before the race, but I have not received a response. I hope these concerns will be taken into consideration and that at next year’s Pumpkin Run, there will be an improvement in the management of the waste.

Mary Alice Jacob Masonick

Elgin

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